More crew change hubs opened to receive seafarers

04 May 2022 / Philippines

Pursuant to the order given by Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Art Tugade to establish more crew change hubs across the country, three more crew change hubs became operational in the ports of Zamboanga, Iloilo and in Puerto Princesa, Palawan.

The new crew change hubs were activated on March 14, March 21 and April 8, 2022, respectively. The DOTr Maritime Sector led the opening of the new crew change hubs, comprised of the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), the Office of Transportation Security (OTS), and the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), together with other concerned government agencies.

With the additional crew change hubs, the Philippines now has 9 active crew change hubs joining the Manila South Harbor, Port Capinpin in Orion, Bataan, Sasa Wharf in Davao, and Batangas, under the PPA. The other two crew change hubs are located in Subic and Cebu.

The country introduced the crew change hubs to process the documents needed to facilitate the movement of both on-signers and off-signers amid the global pandemic, recognizing the vital contribution of seafarers to the country’s economy.

The establishment of crew change hubs across the country is part of the measures adopted to keep maritime operations ongoing despite the strict health protocols being enforced amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The crew change hubs are staffed by the following government agencies: the DOTr and its attached agencies: Office for Transportation Security (OTS), Cebu Port Authority (CPA), Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), the Department of Health (DOH), Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ), the Bureau of Customs (BOC), Bureau of Immigration (BI), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the Overseas Workers Welfare Organization (OWWA), the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), and by the various provincial and local government units…

(For further details and updates, as well as information about operations in the Philippines, contact GAC Philippines at [email protected])

Source: Philippine Coast Guard (https://coastguard.gov.ph/) news update dated 4 May 2022

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